


Betrothal of a Forest God - (may change)

by Aroomie



Category: Original Work
Genre: Best Friends, Confused About Love, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Forests, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, Jealousy, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Strangers to Friends, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Wilderness, Wilds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-04-24 07:57:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19169056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aroomie/pseuds/Aroomie
Summary: "When you are young, your parents tell you about certain places that you're just not supposed to go. The abandoned house down the street, not to get close to the well at the park, or not to enter the forest at night. The forest is the most common, the trees tall and full of branches and leaf's, the forest floor dark and bleak. Most men stay clear, even the braver of the sum, many traveling by carriage through the dark wood. It seems silly to think about how people still fear the woods, but if you ask me… Those woods gave me my life."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So... First time writing an original piece... Yeah...

No one comes to the woods, maybe a carriage passing by at a quickened pace, but rarely do they make appearances. That's why today is… Strange. The normally quiet trees are loud and bustling with the wind, the animals are scampering around as if trying to find something. Stray squirrels shrieking loudly before scampering away as something larger made its way through the trees, the trunks creaking as they bowed. The creature was alone most days, liked it that way, its large stature making it hard to be amongst others. Some call it a "forest god", offering a tribute of various foods or clothing in hopes that it will bless their travels through the woods. Some call it a "demon", gathering hunting parties of people to try and hunt it. Obviously, as it sulks through the trees, they don't succeed. The creature lets those smart enough to flee live if they can get out of the trees that is. It's not at fault if they get eaten by some hungry predator. 

The creature itself, he likes the name his mother gave him. Von. She told him that it meant "hope", it was supposed to be symbolic or something. His mother's hope to one day have people not fear the forest as they do, to not feel the need to hunt the creatures inside… It was a pipe dream at best. When the people learned about Von's birth, his origins, they burnt his mother at the steak, accusing her of witchcraft. That was five hundred years ago.

Von could look human if he wished, but roaming around in his larger bestial form was more comfortable most days, standing at ten feet tall with a broad shoulder width, he found it easier to move despite how close the trees grew to one another. He watched his feet, careful not to step on the smaller creatures scurrying about, a squirrel running over one of his taloned toes in its rush. A low sigh left him as he took a large step to the side to avoid a small group of deer before continuing to walk alongside the busy creatures. His pace slowed and stilled as they came up to the singular gravel road that wound its way through the woods, his head tilting slightly as he watched the pair of deer run out of cover and to the middle, soon followed by a large boar he never noticed till now. 

Curiosity getting the better of him, which never works well on his part, he took a hesitant step forwards and leaned past the bush that blocked his view and stilled. There was an upturned carriage on the far side of the road, luggage and belongings thrown about, one of the horses that were pulling the carriage had its leg twisted at a bazar angle; the bone sticking out from the joint, and its throat partially ripped out. Von cringed, shaking his head slowly while taking note that there should have been at least three other horses to pull the large wooden transport, hoping they ran off instead of meeting the same end. Von's gaze lifted slightly as loud snuffling came from his left, his eyes falling on the boar scuffing at the carriage as if trying to get inside of it. Von frowned slightly and looked either way down the road before stepping onto it and walking over, he was too curious, animals never did this around carriages.

He waved his hand about to make the smaller of the critters roaming the outside skitter away, blinking as a squirrel jumped onto his hand and began squeaking angerly at him before it skittered off. He watched it run to the side of the road before stopped, watching him, its little arms crossed over its chest in annoyance and he looked back at what he was doing. Taking care, he pried the door open and took a peek inside, quickly snapping it shut. He looked around the area again, frowning as he took a breath still not seeing anyone, and opened the door once again and looked inside. The interior was painted red.

He frowned slightly and leaned back, leaving the door open while the little critters came back to look at the mess. A robin peeking inside and flying away quickly while the same squirrel's ears dropped and tail sagged. Von's head tilted, a slightly pointed ear peeking out from the shoulder length raven strands of his hair, listening as his eyes drifted down the road again. He thought he saw something coming, so he kept staring, but something caught his attention. His eyes drawing back to the carriage as a soft hiccupping sob sounded from inside. He sits straight and peeked into the carriage, squinting as he peered inside.

His head tilted as a bundle of something moved, so he reached in and carefully hooked one of his sharp nails into the crimson soaked fabric and lifted. He blinked once, then twice, then too many to count at a quick pace as he pulled out a small human. The tiny thing was wearing what was once a baby blue dress, now stained with blood, and was now currently wailing. He almost drops the small wailing human in his surprise but quickly recovered, placing the small being in his hand as he quickly retreated into the trees. He tried hushing the child, just holding the small lump in his hand while trying to figure out what he could do for it. His eyes dropping to his knee as the squirrel came up and moved its arms in a rocking motion, waving its hands at the tiny human, then repeating the rocking motion. Von's nose scrunched up slightly, but he followed the motion with his hand and slowly rocked the tiny being. He stared down at it as it slowly hushed, hiccupping every now and then, before finally getting quiet enough to stare up at Von.

He stared down at it. The little thing was covered from head to toe in blood so he did the first thing that came to mind, his long tongue lolled out from behind his lips and dragged across the small human, licking up the blood and cleaning whatever that would come off. When he finished, he looked at the squirrel, who scrunched its nose in disgust before waving over in another direction as one of the deer came over with clothing in its mouth and placing the small garment on Von's knee. He grumbled, officially starting to wonder if this was worth the trouble, and picked up the small garment. He looked at it, tilting his head some, and found it to be another dress so he made quick work of disrobing the small human and redressing. He found the arms to be the worst struggle he had ever been part of, when one arm was in and he started on the other, the small human somehow took its arm out again and bubbled giggles up at him as she flailed its tiny limbs. If it wasn't so frustrating, he might have found it endearing.

After what felt like an eternity, reality only a few minutes, the tiny human was dressed and currently kicking its feet around while resting on its belly. Von stared at it, head tilting, and gently poked the tiny human's cheek. It paused, stared up at him, and smiled, all gums. Von felt his heart melt and found himself smiling back, the sharp rows of his teeth making the tiny human smile even more before bubbling and rolling over as it reached up for him. Lifting the tiny human up again, he held it close to his chest and stood, the little squirrel sitting on his shoulder and waving around a piece of cloth for him. He took the piece of fabric and laid it out next to the tiny little being in his hand, staring at the design on it, his brow lifting some as he recognized the design from the other side of the forest. For him, it would be barely half a days journey. Von looked over his shoulder towards the wrecked carriage, frowning some as realization dawned. It was a family headed home. His eyes drifted down to the small bubbling child in his hand and he frowned still as he lifted it up and gently pressed it against his forehead before tucking it back against his chest and began walking. 

 

He knew it was stupid. He knew he was taking a risk. But every time he looked down at the small child in his hand, something told him he was doing right. It took barely six hours before he was at the other side of the forest, cutting through the trees cutting carriage travel down immensely, and he stared out at the large manor in the middle of a large clearing. He shifted on his feet nervously, looking side to side before stepping out past the tree line. His larger ten-foot tall stature shrinking down to that of a six-foot, the tiny human cradled in his arms as he pulled the fabric that was bound around his waist higher and looped it over his shoulder to cover more of himself. Humans were picky when it came to clothing. 

He picked up his pace and ran quickly across the yard, jumping over hedges and benches as he made his way to the house. He took a deep steadying breath and peered inside one of the many windows, the interior looked pleasant enough, a lounging room with shelves filled to the brim with books, his eyes darting to the far side as he spotted two elderly humans arguing.

"I'm telling you, something went wrong!"

Von's head tilted towards the window as the elder woman yelled.

"They are never this late!"

There was a heavy sigh and Von tilted his head more to see the older gentleman shaking his head.

"Breath, dear. You don't know that. Something could have happened that postponed their departure."

Von looked down at the child in his arms, smiling slightly as she child bubbled up at him and reached towards the window, the voices obviously familiar. Von took a heavy breath and looked back at the window, watching as the couple continued to bicker. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and tapped against the window with his nails. 

The elder couple stopped their gripping at one another and looked over, the man stepped in front of the woman as they stared at the glass. Von tapped again, gnawing the inside of his lip as he watched them internally fight with themselves before finally the older man stepped forward and looked at Von through the window.

"Forest god!"

Von grumped, his shoulders visibly dropping as he glowered up at the man. He forgot about his eyes, the one thing that never changed, whereas humans have white in their eyes, his are completely black with an ice blue iris of colour. He slapped his hand against the window, holding the piece of material with the design on it against the glass. The older man looked at the cloth before finally noticing the child in Von's arm, gasping loudly as he rushed forwards and opened the large window.

"Edwin? What's going on?"

Von looked from the male towards the woman as she spoke, taking the few steps closer to the window before hoisting himself onto the cill and inside. The woman gasped loudly, but the older man hushed her as Von dropped onto a knee inside the room, looking around the room before his eyes settled on the couple.

"Where'd you find that?"

The older man, Edwin, pointed at the cloth in Von's hand. His gaze followed, staring at it a moment before holding it out to them. 

"The carriage crashed."

Von's voice was deep, somehow soothing, but since none ever expect him to know actual words the couple startle at the words spoken. The older woman slapping Edwin's shoulder and hissed.

"I told you!"

Von smiled slightly, releasing his hold on the fabric as the woman stepped forward and took it. She examined it for a moment before looking up at him again.

"This is my daughters… Where is she?"

Von opened his mouth to talk but was cut off as the little human in his arms bubbled. Everyone's gaze dropped to her. The elder woman cupped a hand over her mouth as Edwin came closer, reaching out towards the little one but Von took a step back as the urge to protect the little being surged through his chest. Edwin paused, looking Von in the eye but not backing up.

"You found the little one in the carriage?"

Von nodded slowly.

"The child, her name is Ayla."

Von glanced down at the little human, staring at her as she reached up and slapped his chin while bubbling happily at him, when he looked back at the couple, his brow drew together as he realized that Ayla had the same eyes as the older woman. He looked back at Edwin, his hands still reaching out, and reluctantly maneuvered the small girl in his arms towards the man. Ayla whined and fitted as she was handed off, reaching back out towards Von so he reached over and let her grab hold of his finger.

"Let me properly introduce myself… My name is Edwin McLoun. This is my wife, Beatrice McLoun. We are Ayla's grandparents, her mother was our daughter."

Von nodded slowly as he listened to Edwin, never taking his eyes from Ayla as she stuck the end of his index finger in her mouth and gnawed.

"You said that the carriage… crashed?"

Von finally looked up as Beatrice spoke up, nodding some before his eyes drifted back towards Ayla.

"Yes… It was tipped… One horse was dead when I arrived. The others I think ran off."

He wiggled his finger gently to remove it from Ayla's mouth, his eyes lifting to look at the couple.

"I don't know what happened."

Edwin frowned slightly, looking down at Ayla then back at Von.

"I don’t' understand… Are you not the god of the forest? How can you not know?"

Von sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"A misconception… I am not a god. Immortal with powers, yes, but a god? I think that's what my father was."

Edwin frowned slightly.

"You think?"

Von nodded some.

"I never met him. Mother told me stories, but that's it."

Edwin made a low noise in the back of his throat before nodding and looking over towards his wife, tipping his head towards Ayla. He carefully passed the child over to her, careful that she didn't lose her grip on Von's hand.

"She seems to like you."

Von smiled fondly at the words from Beatrice, nodding a couple of times as he leaned forward and gently bumped his forehead against Ayla's before leaning back, finally winning his fingers back as the small child started to fall asleep. He looked up from the dozing bundle and watched the couple, shifting from foot to foot.

"I will bury your daughter and her husband in the woods… I know it's, different, then what humans typically do but their spirits will become new trees. They will protect the creatures and watch over Ayla, being so close to the woods."

Von looked out at the trees, nodding slightly as he spoke, already knowing a place in mind.

"You know… I think she would have preferred it that way."

Von looked back over and smiled at Edwin as the older man gave a watery smile as he placed his hand on Beatrice's shoulder. Von's eyes dropped slightly to Ayla, gnawing the inside of his cheek as he stepped back towards the window.

"You can come to see her if you want?"

Von's eyes darted up towards Beatrice's face as she spoke, his brow knitting together in confusion.

"You saved her life. I think that she deserves to know you."

Von nodded slowly, looking back towards Ayla and smiled slightly before looking back at the older couple.

"Only if you promise to not send people with swords, guns, or dogs after me."

Beatrice laughed quietly while Edwin shook his head.

"We don't believe in violence. You've proven enough just by saving our grand-child. Please, visit when you wish."

Von nodded again, smiling, and turned around and began climbing out the window.

"Just, ah, one thing!"

Von paused and looked over at Edwin.

"Use the front door."

The older couple laughed as Von rolled his eyes, a smile on his face, and jumped out the window. Running back towards the tree line as soon as his feet hit the ground.


	2. Ch- 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Forgets about Fan-Fics for now** I make no apologies!!

Over the next few months, Von found himself sitting the middle of the McLoun's library room more often than not. He finally was able to sit comfortably in his smaller form, looking human except for his eyes, and had finally been convinced to wear "normal" clothing. Currently, he was sat in a lounge chair, head propped on his hand as he leaned on the armrest while his other hand flipped casually through pages of a book he read. He spent a good week getting to know Ayla's grandparents, listening to every story, each detail, he even took them to visit where he had buried their daughter and her husband. Von blinked and squinted at the page he was one, realizing he hadn't actually been reading it. His eyes darted up as the door from the main hall opened and he stood, a large smile coming across his face as Beatrice came into the room with Ayla in hand.

"Who's that?"

Beatrice smiled as Ayla immediately started to reach for Von, kicking her little feet in the air all the while as her grandmother transferred her into the waiting hands of Von. He smiled at her, gently bumping their foreheads together before tucking the girl against his chest and hugged her, her tiny hands instantly finding the strings on the loose v of the shirt he was wearing.

"She's bigger."

Beatrice laughs quietly at the obvious statement.

"That's what children do, Von. They grow."

Von still smiled as he bounced Ayla gently as she played with the strings on his shirt, staring around the room like she's never seen it before. Beatrice smiled as she watched them, folding her arms across her chest as she watched while Ayla dropped the strings and climbed as best she could up Von's shoulder and began playing with his hair, shrieking with delight. 

"You are good with her, you know."

Von looked over at Beatrice, smiling nervously as he held Ayla up by her rump, gently patting the padded rear as Ayla tugged his hair once before sliding back down his shoulder and sat against his chest like a "good girl" and went back to playing with the strings.

"She has so much energy… Does that always stay?"

Von looked up from watching Ayla and settled his gaze on the elder human, a small smile on his lips.

"For some children, their energy levels balance when they are sixteen. Now, if Ayla is anything like her mother was, I have high doubts that her energy will balance."

Von laughed quietly, low in his chest, as he looked back down at Ayla before the two of them went to sit down. Von listened as Beatrice shared stories of Ayla's mother. How the woman met her husband by sheer accident when she ran into the trees and was climbing around, twisting her ankle on a fallen branch and landing straight into the man's arms. Jokes about how Ayla's mother fell "head over feet" for the man were a constant. Von had learned that Ayla's birth had been difficult on her mother, the both of them almost not making it. When he learned that, his face fell and he clutched Ayla close to his chest and gently brushed his nose across the top of her head, his mind trying to catch up with the idea of her not being with him.

"Von?"

He blinked and looked up at Beatrice, a small smile on her face as she held out a small piece of cloth to him. He looked at it for a moment before taking it, watching as Beatrice motioned towards his cheeks and only then did he realize that he had started to cry. He dipped his head low and held the fabric in his hand as he holds Ayla closely, the little girl bubbling up at him and uses her tiny hand to wipe at his face. Beatrice smiled some as she watched the pair, Ayla reaching over to Von's hand and pushed the cloth against the wet spots while her other hand is stuck in her mouth.

Von laughed quietly as he cleaned his face, part with the cloth and part with the back of his hand, before reaching over and gently plucks Ayla's hand from her mouth. Instead giving her his own hand to fiddle with as he looked up at Beatrice again.

"Von, If it's not too intrusive… Might I ask, just how long have you been alone?"

He stared up at her then glanced to the side, thinking. Ayla now sitting comfortably in his lap as she played with his fingers.

"You and Mr. McLoun are the first humans I have spoken within… Ah, two hundred years?"

Beatrice smiled sadly at Von when his eyes bounced back to her for a second before he looked back down at Ayla, playing with her little fingers as he admired her dress.

"Do you miss it?"

Von looked back at her, his head tilting to the side.

"The communication. The company."

Von tilted his head back, making a low noise in the back of his throat as he sighed some.

"The company I can get from animals… Communicating is tricky. So many words, emotions, things can come out wrong."

Beatrice smiled a little more, shaking her head.

"Humans can be complex, yes, but are you not the same? With your emotions?"

Von's eyes dropped as he looked at Ayla, shaking his head some.

"I… Am learning. New emotions, new feelings, new things to say… I want to stay with Ayla." 

Von looked up at Beatrice and smiled nervously as he wrapped his arm around the small girl in his lap, bouncing her on his knee.

"Is it strange? To care about something so small? Not yours?"

Beatrice laughed, shaking her head some as she watched while Von looked from her face then back to Ayla, her smile now wide as she watched Von dip his head down and gently run his nose across the baby's barely there long hair. 

"Hardly. She makes us happy, our little light."

Ayla squealed in delight as she swatted her hands around before settling then on Von's hand again before sticking his finger in her mouth, gently gnawing at it as she makes a face. He smiled as he gently ran his finger across her gums, gently poking as he felt the beginnings of her teeth coming in.

"She will soon be able to eat solids."

He nodded some as he pulled his finger back far enough to show Beatrice the little white numbs starting to show before letting her stick it back in and gnaw, the elder woman laughing quietly as she nodded some.

"She will learn to start talking within the year, no doubt."

Von smiled, huge and toothy, at the thought of being able to finally talk to his little Ayla. Beatrice laughed softly, shaking her head slightly as she watched him. The two of them sat together for another three hours before Edwin finally returned home, the man had needed to run out and check on the store. Von had learned early on that the McLoun's were a wealthy family from a produce business, family owned for generations. Ayla's mother and her husband were meant to take over so that Edwin may retire, but he stated he could wait a few more years before passing on the torch to Ayla, should the girl wish it.

The four of them had dinner together, Von still having trouble with his utensils and more often than not opted out for using his fingers as politely as possible. He claimed it was much easier, and he doesn't risk starving, every time he gets caught. It had begun to turn into a regular routine for them, every five days Von would come to the manor to see Ayla and they had dinner, he would get to sit next to the small girl as she played with, more than ate, the mush they have her and helped feed her bottled milk. After dinner, Beatrice would take Ayla to bed for the evening and Von would sit with Edwin in his study while the man talked about the store and how it worked. 

Edwin found it endearing how much von wanted to learn, so he obliged him. Edwin would teach Von the numbers, how to calculate everything properly, produce, explain to know when things were going bad. Von loved those days, but he didn't dare for more, he was still technically a "wild beast" in the eyes of some humans and he wouldn't dare risk the humans he found for his selfish wants despite the continuous invitations from the couple. 

Tonight was a hard night, as Von had learned when Edwin's head made a soft thump against the top of his desk. The first time it had happened, Von practically had a heart attack as he screamed for Beatrice to come help and laughed when they discovered that the human had simply fallen asleep. He smiled some as he walked over to the desk and carefully eased the man out of the chair, picking him up easily and carried him to the bedroom he shared with Beatrice. Setting him down easy, Von took off the man's shoes and pulled the blanket over him before leaving the room, smiling sheepishly when he bumped into Beatrice and looked back into the room.

"He worked hard. He is tired."

She sighed and nodded, looking into the room.

"Yes, I keep telling him he needs to at least have help with the paperwork. Stubborn man is a control freak."

Von grinned and looked at Beatrice.

"No more than you, Mss. McLoun."

The woman giggled softly but nodded her head, smiling fondly in the room as she watched her husband sleep.

"Perhaps… I can help? On my visits."

Beatrice looked up at Von, her brow high on her forehead.

"He has been teaching me, somethings, not all… But I believe I know enough that I think I can help."

Von looked at Beatrice and smiled.

"That would be wonderful, Von! Any help you can give him will be more than enough."

Von's smile grew a little larger, nodding some as he looked back into the room before looking out the window, making a noise as he looks back at Beatrice.

"Till next week, then."

Beatrice nodded and smiled, gently touching Von's arm as he moved past her. He made a quick stop at Ayla's room, gently running his fingers across the top of her head as she wiggled around in her sleep. 

"See you soon, little moon."

He dipped forwards and gently touched his forehead to hers, the sleeping child making a small bubbly noise in her sleep as her hands flailed in her sleep before settling by her head. He smiled widely as he watched her a moment longer before finally leaving the room and heading out the front door. He watched over his shoulder as the lights inside slowly went out, the odd servant here and there making sure everything was in order before turning in for the night. When he reached the tree line, he shed out of the cloths Edwin had gotten for him and placed them neatly under a nearby fallen tree before taking out the cloth he uses when not with the family.

He walked into the trees, growing in size as he wrapped the cloth around his waist and secured it. He hummed, low and quiet as he walked around the woods, peering at places every so often before finally stopping and stared at a partially cleared area. He nodded once and moved closer to the trees and began to uproot the smaller ones, moving them a good distance away before replanting and repeating till only the larger trees remained. He tilted his head slightly as he stared at a large trunk for a moment before rapping his knuckles against it, making sure nothing was living within, before running his fist through. The tree easily gave way, falling to the wayside and Von went about the business of snapping it into smaller pieces and clearing them away before returning to the trunk and uprooted it to clear more space.

He worked till the sun rose before taking a break, finally looking back to see how much space he had made and his nose scrunched up as he noticed that it was huge. Not nearly as large as the McLoun manor, but still a good size. He sighed once before shaking his head and just continued, this time digging a large square hole, packing in the dirt and making it solid. When he was finally satisfied with the level of work, he laid down right in the middle and stared up at the clouds, taking a deep breath as smaller critters came to join and sprawled themselves across his body.

This was something new. Ever since finding Ayla, the animals wanted to be around him, near, on, however, they could. Von's head tilted some as he now stared at the familiar face of a squirrel, brow lifting, as he watched the squirrel pat down parts of his chest hair before settling down on it. His brow lifted further, trying to decide if he was grossed out our flattered that a squirrel was using his hair as a temporary nesting spot for a nap. He let out a long breath, closing his eyes, deciding to just be flattered and fell asleep surrounded by the small creatures.


	3. Ch- 3

In the coming weeks, Von worked with the hole he had made. Plucking weeds, patting it down even more till he was happy, carving out other shallower lines around it, until finally on the third week he had been working he finally asked Edwin if he had an ax he could borrow.

"What on earth for?"

Edwin stared at Von over the edge of a pair of bifocals, putting the papers in his hand down on his desk. He watched as Von sighed heavily but kept his eyes on his own pieces of paper.

"I've been… Building. It's hard to make clean cuts without the proper tool… And no, my nails don't count."

Edwin made a snorting noise and smirked at Von, shaking his head as he picked up a page and stared at it.

"What are you building?"

Von shifted in his seat at the question, chewing the inside of his cheek and took a big breath before answering.

"A house."

Edwin blinked once and put the page down, looking back at Von as he took the bifocals off.

"A house?"

Von nodded jerkily, the elder humans eyes on him somehow making him nervous, but he kept his eyes on his papers and jotted down a couple of things before making a note on one page and set it aside.

"I-if Ayla wanted to come to see me… Not here… The woods are not safe. So…"

Edwin lifted a brow slightly, watching as Von shifted uncomfortably while doing his share of the papers.

"You mean for when she is older. You want to have her visit, if she wished, outside of your weekly ones?"

Von nodded again as he wrote again on a page and threw it onto his done pile, chewing the inside of his cheek as he could hear Edwin stand up from his desk chair and walk closer.

"Should I be concerned about your future intentions with my grandchild?"

Von blinked once, hard, before looking wide-eyed up at Edwin.

"No! I-it's just... T-that… S-she's growing up so fast and--!"

Edwin cut Von off as he started laughing, his head falling back as his laugh only grew louder. Von's brow screwed together as he stared up at Edwin in confusion, putting his papers down finally as he turned completely towards the older human.

"Relax, Von! I mean nothing by it." 

Edwin laughed more before finally sputtering to a stop, wiping his eyes.

"Hah. If Ayla so wishes, then she may do so. But I assume you are making the house a little far in, are you not? How will she get there safely?"

Edwin moved back to his desk, picking up a page and making a note on it before turning back towards Von.

"M-most animals don't like my scent… If I mark surrounding trees, they won't come near."

Edwin made a noise in the back of his throat, pointing his pen at Von.

"Like a territory thing?"

Von nodded, his head tilting slightly as he watched Edwin huff a laugh before shaking his head and smiling. 

"I see, I see. Alright then."

Von chewed the inside of his lip a little more before looking back at his papers, fiddling with the corner of a page before both of the men's attention was drawn to the door as the handle fumbled but didn't open. Von looked over at Edwin, who shrugged, before looking back as the handle jiggled more and slowly turned. Von stood from his seat and watched the door as it swung open, his brow lifting high as he saw Beatrice standing at the door, empty arms, and clapping as the woman's eyes were downcasted.

"Good girl! You found them!"

Von's eyes drifted down at the words, his eyes growing wide as he watched Ayla stomp around in place on unsteady legs and clapping her tinny hands. Edwin laughed quietly as he watched Von walk over to Ayla as the little girl went to step forwards up almost fell back on her rump, his hands easily swooping the girl up and hugging her to his chest.

"She's walking."

The obvious statement made the pair laugh out loud as Von stared wide-eyed at Ayla, the little girl giving him a huge smile; two front teeth making it less gummy.

"She just stood up three days ago. I don't think she's stopped unless she's having naptime or food."

Von smiled widely as he gently bumped foreheads with Ayla, the little girl shrieking in delight as she put her hands on his cheeks and stared up at him, her bright little sea blue eyes peeking up at him, and she shrieked again as she threw her head back and made grabby hands towards the door. Beatrice giggled.

"Food is ready, boys."

Edwin laughed and stood from his desk and walked over, gently pushing Von on the shoulder to make the man move. Von was so fascinated with the new behavior, looking up from Ayla only to see where he was going and to not run into doors, even at the dinner table he tried to keep her in his lap but Beatrice gently swatted his head and put Ayla in her chair. Ayla laughed and threw her hands around all throughout dinner and Von kept staring, memorizing her actions and behaviors, right till Beatrice called his name more than once to draw his attention back.

"Edwin tells me you are building a house?"

She smiled fondly at him as she spoke, folding her hands across the table as she watched him. Von nodded.

"Yes. I will show you, once it's done."

He smiled proudly.

"I just need to borrow an ax."

Beatrice giggled softly, nodding slightly as she looked over at Edwin before looking back at Von.

"I hope you don't mind my asking… But you do so well with her on your visits, why is it, that in all these years, you don't have children?"

Von blinked, staring at Beatrice as she finished speaking, his brow scrunching together between his eyes as he looks at Ayla.

"Two reasons, actually." He holds up his index finger. "One: I can only successfully bare children with a human." He holds up his second finger. "Two: I can only have one bond partner."

Beatrice looked over at Edwin, meeting his gaze before they both look back over at Von, Edwin speaking next as Von gave his spoon to Ayla to inspect.

"Bond partner?"

Von dips his head slightly, almost blushing.

"Yes… It's, ah… Like a wedding I suppose. I would bite this person, doesn't matter where, and they would bite me. In exchange, we, ah, share our blood, bonding us together." 

Von looks up at the couple, tilting his head slightly.

"Their life is mine, my life is theirs."

Beatrice leans forward slightly on the table, completely intrigued.

"So… In other words, they would live as long as you do?"

Von nodded slightly, smiling some.

"Yes, our lives would tie together. Whether I die, or they die, we do it together."

Beatrice smiled widely and reached over, smacking Edwin's shoulder.

"Now that's a commitment."

The trio laughed quietly, Von's eyes drifting back to Ayla as the girl threw some of her mushy food onto the table. He shook his head slowly and reached over, cleaning the mess with his napkin before scooping some of the mush onto his spoon and giving it back to Ayla, the girl now sucking happily at the mush. When Von looked back at the couple, they were smiling at him.

"You really are great with her."

Von smiled shyly and waved them off, finishing his food quickly then continued to help Ayla as the couple finished theirs. Once dinner was done and cleared away, Von put Ayla to bed for the night and returned to help Edwin with the last of his papers before both men headed out to the gardens and walked around for a while. Only when the lights started going out did Edwin finally call it a night, giving Von the ax he had requested, and headed back inside. 

Von smiled up at the manor for a while, walking backward towards the trees, and only till he reached the tree line did he finally turn around and walk properly. Realizing that he had to stay in the smaller form to use the ax properly, Von shuffled out of his shirt and carried it and the larger fabric wrap he wore towards his workspace. When he reached the hole, he tilted his head slightly at it before nodding once and made a sharp turn toward his left and headed towards a large pile of tree trucks he had gathered.

Needing the ax was just to make the edges pretty, but that didn't mean he wouldn't gather all he thought he would need beforehand. He wedged the end of the ax into a trunk and pulled, rolling it off the large pile, dragging it to a more comfortable swinging space and began working his way over the wood, splitting it down the middle. He continued this for a while before going about other work, having gathered pieces of termite nest and other sturdier nesting's, he began mixing and turning to make a natural cement paste, coating the bottom of the holes he at dug, lining the sides of the deeper one while just laying a thin layer on the bottom of the shallow ones.

He worked till the sun went down, setting the ax to the side as he walked away from the "mess" and journeyed to a lake near his construction grounds. Shedding off the pants, she quickly jumped into the water to get the sweat and muck off of him, rubbing his hands over his hair to get it from his eyes before he just sat in the more shallow end. His head craned back as he stared up at the moon overhead and closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath.

He didn't know why he only now wanted to build the house, but something in his chest just told him he had to. He's never wanted to make something so big, maybe the odd "house" for a smaller creature with no shelter in the rains or winter, but never something this big. He opened his eyes again and stared at the huge silver globe that stared right back, chewing the inside of his cheek as his thoughts drifted towards Ayla sleeping in her crib and he began to grow eager to see her grow up.


	4. Ch- 4

Von watched from a cliffside down at the city, his brow lifted slightly as he watched people with their horses and carriages charging across cobblestone roads. He shook his head, humans were always so busy, always moving, always, always…  
His eyes drifted down the street, staring at the large "McLoun's Grocery" painted on a large billboard and he smiled. He had spent a lot of time with the family, it made something in his chest flutter and feel full, especially when he was with Ayla. The small girl in his arms always made his day, having almost been a whole year since he saved her, he spent half the day with her then later in the evenings he would work and learn from Edwin about the shop and how to properly talk with other humans.

Edwin glanced down at the small package next to his seat on a fallen tree, brow lifting a little more as he stared down at the dark royal blue fabric sticking out from it. His brow twitching slightly as he reached over and traced a finger over the fine fabric, remembering how he obtained it.

~~~~~~~~~~~  
_"Her birthday?"_

_Von looked up from his paperwork and stared at Edwin, the older man nodding some._

_"She's one year old in a week. Beatrice is set on hosting a party for her."_

_Von chuckled softly, shaking his head as he looked back at his papers._

_"She wants you to come."_

_Von felt like someone just dropped ice water down his back, his eyes shooting up towards Edwin._

_"I would like you to be there as well… It would be nice to have someone actually personable to speak with."_

_Von stared at Edwin, swallowing hard as his mouth ran dry._

_"People don't--"_

_Edwin held up his hand and cut Von off._

_"Two hundred years ago. Von, things could be different."_

_Von frowned deeply, looking back at his papers, his hands balling up and crumping._

_"Listen, Von."_

_He didn't look up but could hear Edwin shuffle around and stand in front of him._

_"Let me get you a suit, something none flashy undoubtedly like every other person that will come, and you can decide from there. Okay?"_

_Von chewed at the inside of his cheek, looking up at Edwin for a split second then back down at the papers. He knew he was going to regret it, he knew it, but he nodded anyway and the smile on Edwin's face almost made the dread he felt vanish. Almost._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Von sighed and closed his eyes as he picked up the package and stood, walking back into the trees. He arrived at the partially finished house he was building, shrinking his size down to go inside and take a look around at the interior before changing into the suit, he's going to regret this. Buttoning up the black dress shirt, he left the first two undone and tucked it into the bottoms, leaving the shoes off for now and draped the jacket over his arm, quickly fastening the leather belt, and headed towards the manor.

It took him twenty minutes to walk there in his current shape, he didn't mind though, he needed the walk to either convince himself to turn around and just go home or that it really won't be so bad. Every time he was almost convinced, Ayla's giggling smile appeared in front of his mind and he lost the reason why he shouldn't go. At the tree line, he stared out at the vast garden and internally cringed at the number of people there was, all for Ayla's birthday. Von found himself thinking "She's one… She won't remember if you're here or not…" and was about to turn around to go back home but a shrill cry made him stop in his tracks, looking over his shoulder as he stared up at the manor's patio lounge and spotted Ayla, red-faced, tears running down her cheeks, and throwing her limbs around like no tomorrow as one of the guests held her at arm's length.

Every rational thought left him. He dropped the shoes and jacket, sprinting across the gardens. Guests gasping and jumping out of his way as he cut off their paths as he ran forward, his eyes only trained on Ayla. As he got closer, he could hear the guest complaining about how Ayla just wouldn't shut up and Von found himself growling loudly as he jumped over the hedge blocking his path to the lounge area and, as gently as he could, stole Ayla from the guests' grip.

"If you want to complain, don't attend a CHILD's birthday!"

Von glared at the man, holding Ayla securely to his chest as the small girl hiccupped and fussed as she buried her face into his shirt, the blue of his eyes almost glowing.

"D-demon!!"

Von growled even more at the term, standing over the guest as he shrieked.

"The only demon is you! Who in the hell can't hold a child!"

The commotion had gathered a crowd, not that Von cared when suddenly a loud booming laugh broke Von's gaze from the rude guest and looked over to see Edwin laughing so hard that the older man was hunched over himself.

"You should see yourself, Von!!"

Von tilted his head slightly, staring over at Edwin a moment longer before catching his reflection in the window, his face turning red as he looked down at Ayla, her bright sea blue eyes staring up at him as she reached up and swatted at his disheveled hair, knocking a leaf from the coppery strands. In his Run towards Ayla, he didn't even notice the low hanging tree branches he ran past, collecting various flowers, wigs, and leaves.

He puffed loudly and closed his eyes, bouncing Ayla once in his arms to get a better hold of her before taking one hand and shaking what he could lose, sticking his tongue out at Ayla as she girl giggled happily and placed a small flower form his hair into hers, causing some of the guests that had gathered to laugh and chuckle and the scene

"Mr. McLoun! You can't be serious! Why is this… This… THING, here?!"

All the laughter died. Von looked at the guest and rolled his eyes partially before walking over to Edwin and moved to give Ayla to him but Edwin pushed her back to Von's chest and glared at the guest.

"Mr. Andrew, yes? I believe you are being rude to Ayla's personal guest. You should apologize."

Andrew gawked.

"I will not! That thing belongs in the forest! Like the rest of his kind!"

Von winced at the last statement, dipping his head as he gently brushed his nose against Ayla's silvery blonde hair.

"His kind? And what is he exactly? Do you know?"

Edwin folded his arms across his chest, brow lifting. The guest scoffed.

"Look at his eyes! He's a damned demon, and you know it!"

Von shut his eyes tightly, hugging Ayla closer to him as the little girl looked at the man and put on her best grown-up scowl.

"I don't think a "demon", as you call him, would care for the wellbeing of a child, Andrew."

Von looked up in surprise at the new voice, his gaze falling into a female guest who looked rather unimpressed.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Lady Beth, Andrew."

The man gawked again as his gaze whipped over to the tall raven-haired man standing next to him.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Matt?! Your own father was killed by that forest not three years ago last month!"

The man, Matt, held up his hands and shook his head.

"Yes, yes he did, but we don't know what killed him, and as far as I know; there aren't any demons around these parts."

Andrew was about to say something else, but Von spoke out, his eyes on Matt.

"If your father died on the road, then it was maybe a demon… Humans made the road as short as possible, cutting straight across their border, actually. If he died more close to the edge, then it is more possible to be wolves, or perhaps a bear."

Matt stared wide-eyed at Von, licking his lips before responding.

"He was headed towards the lake in the woods, maybe fifteen minutes into the woods. He was going to fish."

Von tilted her head slightly, bouncing Ayla as he pulled her dress a little bit to cover her leg more, nodding slowly.

"I would say wolves. They are more active in these months, looking for food their pups." He paused and bit his lips. "Sorry… That sounds cruel…"

Matt laughed and shook his head.

"It's okay… I'm sure pops would have liked the idea of "feeding a next-generation" or some nonsense of the sort."

Von smiled slightly, looking at Ayla once more as the little girl played with his shirt, tugging at the buttons.

"I'm sorry… Am I the only one that thinks this is severely fucked up?!"

Von's hand went straight to Ayla's ear and covered it best he could, looking at Andrew. Matt cuffed the back of his head.

"Seriously, man. Shut up. You're just making yourself look stupid. Everyone here is obviously fine with the demon… god… person?"

Matt looked over at Von as he tried to give him a title, making him laugh.

"Von."

Matt's brow lifted high.

"Von? That a type of sub-species or something?"

Von blinked once before his eyes went really wide, looking over at Edwin as the older man looked like he was about to die from trying not to laugh. All Von could do was grin as he looked back at Matt.

"My name is Von. My mother was human, my father was actually a shifter of sorts. Humans have different names for their type, such as "demon" or "god"… I prefer Von."

He smiled more as Matt stepped forwards and reached out his hand to him, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Matthew Hants. The rude one there is Andrew Launden, my EX-partner."

Matt looked over his shoulder at Andrew and glared at him and Andrew gawked for a third time within the hour before his face went completely stormy as he watched Von and Matt shake hands.

"Know what? Fine. Fuck this. Good riddance, you're not that good in bed anyways!"

Matt's brow went straight into his hairline, Von retracted his hand and gently bounced Ayla before a small snicker left him, drawing the men's attention.

"Something funny, freak?"

Von looked over at Andrew and smiled, gently rubbing Ayla's back.

"It's quite funny… I never quite knew that the emotions "humiliation" and "rage" could mix together to create such a brutish performance."

Andrew Gawked once again and tried to speak, looking from Von, then Matt, then over to Edwin, and back to Von, before yelling in frustration and stomping his foot like a two-year-old before spinning on his heel and stormed out. Von's brow lifted slightly as his eyes followed Andrew's exit before he looked over at Matt.

"You called that thing your partner?"

Matt snorted and shook his head.

"Desperate times, desperate measures. It was either him or a complete douche."

He grinned over at Von, who laughed and shook his head before they all rejoined everyone else. Von was, to put lightly, pleasantly surprised, not only did Matt talk with him the whole afternoon but almost all of the other guests came over to ask him things or to simply talk. Aside from Andrew, everyone was pleasant and good company. The evening dragged on into comfortable conversation with Matt as Von held Ayla close, gently bouncing her in his lap, at some point Edwin had found the jacket and shoes he had dropped in the garden, making Von turn bright red as he apologized profusely for almost wrecking the items. Edwin simply laughed it off before going to find his wife, gently patting Von in the back before leaving.

"So, not a god, not a demon, what do you prefer people to refer you as?"

Von looked up from Ayla in his lap, smiling at Matt as he shook his head.

"Well, the rudest I've ever gotten was "abomination". The best is "friend"."

Von grinned at Matt as the man stared at him nodding sagely as a slow smile spread across his face.

"Well, then you shall have another, friend. Should you need anything, my house it the manor just down the way."

Matt pointed over his shoulder and motioned behind them, Von's eyes darting behind him to look as he continued to smile.

"I know that place… Your family works in construction."

Matt smiled wider, watching Von.

"That we do. Now you know why the yard looks like it does."

Von scoffed, laughing softly as he pulled Ayla close to him as she curled up and closed her eyes.

"That's a poor excuse for letting your grass be that dead, Sir."

Matt started laughing, his head was thrown back and holding his stomach.

"I'll have to have a talk with my grandfather then, yes? See if we can't fix it up."

Von shook his head and smirked, gently rocking Ayla in his arms.

"If he won't try killing me… I can come to look at it."

Matt smiled wider, nodding some.

"I'll have a talk with him then."

Matt looked down at Ayla, tilting his head some.

"You really care about her."

Von nodded slowly, smiling small as he gently brushed the hair from Ayla's face.

"Yes… Since I met her, I have wanted to become… Different, for her."

Von looked up at Matt who was grinning at him.

"Sounds like you have a small crush there, Von."

Von rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"She's one."

Matt grinned more.

"And you're over five hundred and don't age."

Von rolled his eyes, looking back down at Ayla, his eyes landing on her bright blue staring up at him.


End file.
